Repotting without the stress

Repotting gives a plant room to grow, but done at the wrong time it can stall it for weeks. Most houseplants need a new pot every one to two years, and only in spring or early summer.

Does it need repotting?

Slide the plant out of its pot and look at the roots. It is time when:

• roots circle the bottom of the pot or grow out of the drainage hole;
• water runs straight through without soaking in;
• the plant dries out within a couple of days of watering.

If you mostly see soil, leave it where it is.

Choose the next size up, not the biggest

Go up 2 to 5 cm in diameter. A pot that is much too large holds wet soil the roots can’t reach, which leads to rot. Always use a pot with a drainage hole, or put a plastic nursery pot inside a decorative cachepot.

Step by step

1. Water the plant the day before, so the root ball holds together.
2. Put a few centimetres of fresh potting mix in the new pot.
3. Ease the plant out. Tease apart circling roots gently with your fingers.
4. Set it at the same depth it grew before, with the top of the root ball about 2 cm below the rim.
5. Fill around it with mix, firming lightly. Don’t pack it down hard.
6. Water thoroughly and let it drain.

Afterwards

Keep the plant out of direct sun for a week and skip feeding for a month: fresh mix holds all the nutrients it needs. A droopy leaf or two in the first days is normal.

Our peat-free indoor potting mix is the blend we use on our own benches.